The Wife Upstairs
Fiction
St. Martin's Press
January 5, 2021
Audiobook/Hardcover
304
Free from libro.fm/Purchased
Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates––a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name.
But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates’ most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie––not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she’s always yearned for.
Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie’s heart before her past––or his––catches up to her?
With delicious suspense, incisive wit, and a fresh, feminist sensibility, The Wife Upstairs flips the script on a timeless tale of forbidden romance, ill-advised attraction, and a wife who just won’t stay buried. In this vivid reimagining of one of literature’s most twisted love triangles, which Mrs. Rochester will get her happy ending?
My review:
This is more like a 3.5 stars, but unfortunately half stars are not available for reviewing purposes. I had no idea until I went to write this review that it was loosely based on Jane Eyre? Of course I've never read Jane Eyre (sorry, not sorry) so would have no reason to conjure that scenario up. However, there is that if you have read the classic, maybe that would have swayed my opinion higher or lower? Who knows? What I do know is that this is one of those thrillers that is compulsively readable! I flew through the audiobook of this in one day (it helped that I was involved in building a bookcase while listening). My favorite thing about this book was that literally all of the characters were unlikable (to me), and it was a race to the finish to see which one of them was going to one up the other to "win" in the end. Everyone was looking to others for what they could offer them in terms of improving their life (or the life they wished for others to see). Such a clever plot premise! These are definitely people you love to hate. This also had the usual number of plot twists that I didn't necessarily see coming, with the end one being the most satisfying. Also, I know this has nothing to do with the content, but I would be remiss in not mentioning how much I love this cover (which does effect whether I delve further into exploring a book synopsis)!
This was a really solid, unputdownable thriller. I think I've just read so many thrillers lately, that most seem to fall into that good (3 star) to very good (4 star) range, and ultimately get all mixed up in my mind. I would love to hear from someone who has read Jane Eyre and can tell me if that heightened your experience with this book.
